My Summertime "To-Do" List in Chicago

Every year when summer rolls around in Chicago, I always start to think about some of the fun-filled things I plan on doing, but never really seem to accomplish. I lived in downtown Chicago for most of my adult life and there are still a few attractions and activities that are on my to-do list.

Whether it’s because of my busy schedule working in the Chicago real estate business or that summers in Chicago are simply WAY too short, as each season comes and goes, it’s always the same old story.

So in 2012, I’m going to make a change! I’m going to FINALLY enjoy some of the awesome amenities Chicago has to offer and make a serious effort to take advantage of living in the Windy City!

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How to Secure a Downtown Chicago Apartment

The Chicago rental market is HOT! By now, this isn’t news to most people working in the real estate business or who have already moved in the last year or two. But if you’re just now facing the dreaded dilemma of having to search for a new apartment in downtown Chicago, it’s vital to be as prepared as possible if you want any chance at all in securing your first or second choice home.

I know you’re probably thinking that I’m just exaggerating and only say this because I want a fast and smooth transaction, but the reality when it comes to today’s rental market in Chicago is that you only have a VERY small window of  opportunity before an apartment with hardwood floors, outdoor space, and

Chicago Streeterville real estate website

Pinterest, a social photo-sharing platform, has certainly exploded onto the internet scene over the past several months, with users from all over the world “pinning” up pictures of their favorite places, products, events, and so-on. Many retail businesses now even have the little Pinterest logo next to the Facebook and Twitter logos on their marketing materials and e-mails they send out to customers, so there’s no denying it’s here to stay.

If you have an account, then you already know how Pinterest continues to draw people in by strategically organizing each pinned image within user-created pin boards, ultimately forming an attractive collage of great looking photos for fr

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CTA Releases New Train Tracker Amenities

The CTA is continuing to make progress towards bettering Chicago’s grossly outdated “L” system as it recently unveiled a couple new tech-savvy options riders can access in order to track where a train is located and how long it will take before arriving at your station. Unfortunately, many of us still haven’t experienced the new, highly publicized rail cars that were part of a massive $1 billion order of 706 cars. Unknown safety concerns have been the culprit behind this unexpected setback, but I can obviously understand why these issues weren’t addressed before coughing up the one billion dollars. I mean that kind of money MUST be like pocket change to a high-end outfit such as the Chicago

Nicholas Colagiovanni Achieves a Career Milestone!!

Recently, a colleague of mine, Nicholas Colagiovanni, was named part of the Top 1000 real estate professionals in the United States for 2011. The honor recognizes individual real estate agents based on their total amount of closed transaction volume from the year prior and is a milestone that Nicholas and our entire team should be proud of. I partnered with Nicholas on numerous occasions and there’s no doubt that each experience he went above and beyond even my highest expectations. Throughout his career, he’s always worked well with other agents in our business and in my case, has really taught me a lot about how to further advance myself in such a high-paced, fast moving environment here in